In the Mouth of Madness

With “In the Mouth of Madness”, Carpenter brings his “Apocalypse Trilogy” to a fitting end, crafting a highly complex story imbued with film and literary influences starting with fascinating Lovecraftian-tinged poetics and continuing on to the bitter social science fiction so beloved by Richard Matheson.

First Carpenter corroded trust in others in “The Thing” (1982), and then he put the precepts of faith on shaky ground in the “Prince of Darkness” (1987). This time he takes aim at reality itself, along with its relationship to perception and thought (“A reality is just what we tell each other it is“). Essentially, the director is tackling what in the field of philosophy is known as the “dualism between certainty and truth” and he does it by employing an ensemble of narratological techniques – such as the plot’s circular structure, the skillful use of “mise en abyme“, and repeated use of flashbacks and flashforwards – aimed at transmitting that sense of insecurity typical of the oneiric dimension. Additionally, the film develops a conversation with a meta-narrative flavor in many ways reminiscent of Stephen King’s “The Dark Half” (1989).

Notable performances: the outstanding Sam Neill communicates the intensity of the detective who takes up the banner of rationality only to then be forced to confront the specter of an unintelligible, boundless monstrosity. Also unforgettable is Jürgen Prochnow in the role of demiurge Sutter Cane, a real-life creator of cosmic horrors who delights in playing with ontology and rocking the unfortunate protagonist’s fundamental principles to the core (including with a memorable nod to Descartes: “I think, therefore you are“).

Undisputed pinnacle of the fantasy film genre.